Global instructor Rico Kanthatham highlights the transformation of 2023 Fab Academy graduates Karma Lhakee and Ugyen Lhamo who went on to lead the ChoeGo Fablab in Thimphu. As trainers for the De-suung Skilling Programme, they have equipped youth and volunteers with digital fabrication skills, expanded STEM education to schools and remote communities, and turned the lab into a hub of innovation and opportunity, embodying the mission of the Fab Foundation.

Kuku, Chunku and Impact Making at ChoeGo Fablab: How Two Fabacademy Graduates are Shaping the Future of Bhutanese Making

4 min read

For Rico Kanthatham, a global instructor with years of digital fabrication experience, his relationship with Bhutan is best described as a long-standing love affair. It is a place where the high-tech world of Fab Academy meets a deep-rooted culture of community and service. Among the many students he has mentored there two names are becoming living testaments to the transformative power of the program: Karma Lhakee (opens new window) and Ugyen Lhamo (opens new window). Their journey began in 2023 when they participated in and successfully graduated from the challenging, 6-month long Fab Academy program sponsored by Bhutan’s Desuup program. In the three years since, these two women have been incredibly active and using their hard-earned knowledge to deliver a positive impact to their community.

The transition from student to mentor is rarely a smooth path. Karma and Ugyen recall their early days in the Fab Academy as a time of immense curiosity shadowed by uncertainty. Every software interface was a foreign language, and every machine was a challenge to be conquered. But they never wavered in their determination to learn, enduring frustrating setbacks as well as enjoying technological wins. Their final projects, “Shoo Boar” (an agriculture aid device) and “Apa’s Vest” (a heated vest for Desuup volunteers) were perfect reflections of their individual personalities and strong evidence of their growth and achievement. When they stood at their graduation in July 2023, they weren't just receiving a certificate; they were accepting a mission. They were immediately thrust into leadership roles at the newly opened ChoeGo Fablab in Thimphu, tasked with a responsibility that would have intimidated the most seasoned Fablab managers. They weren't just managing a digital fabrication space; they were becoming the primary trainers for the De-suung Skilling Programme, an initiative created by His Majesty the King to provide technical futures for Bhutan’s youth.

For the past 3 years, Karma and Ugyen, better known to Rico by their nicknames “Kuku” and “Chunku”, have demonstrated their fortitude, determination and capability to take on the challenges placed upon their shoulders. The Fablab managers have thrived in their appointed roles. Since taking the helm of the new lab, Kuku and Chunku have trained 8 batches of 15 to 20 Desuups, imparting to the learners digital fabrication skills including 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC machining, electronics and programming. And beyond this important main work, the 2 Fablab managers have been asked to train students and teachers in nearby high schools in basic electronics, bolstering traditional education with high-tech learning and bootstrapping in-house mini labs. Similar education programs were also offered to students from Bhutan’s remote Highland regions, to inspire these youths to future opportunities beyond their imagination. In the past year, Kuku and Chunku also led a team to the South East Asia Regional Makathon, as well as taking on commercial work for local business and community members to generate lab income. Watching these two young women take on the challenge was, for Rico, the highlight of his career. They were thrown into the “deep end of the pool”, and quickly found their rhythm as instructors and leaders. The growth has been nothing short of inspiring. Kuku and Chunku shifted from asking questions to answering them, realizing that the best way to truly master digital fabrication is to teach it to others. They credit the Fab Academy experience and documentation for their success as instructors, applying the same techniques that helped them learn and utilizing their own written record as reference material. Now they watch with pride as their own students, many from economically challenged backgrounds, began to sustain themselves and their families through the skills learned at the Fab Lab.

Under Kuku and Chunku’s leadership, the ChoeGo Fablab (opens new window) has become a thriving hub for learning, innovation and collaboration in the center of Thimphu, with a commitment to STEM education, inclusive design, cross-cultural knowledge exchange, and empowering communities through hands-on making.Today, ChoeGo Fablab represents the true promise of the Fab Academy. It is a place where the "orange suited" De-suups learn to bridge the gap between abstract theory and practical implementation. Karma and Ugyen have become more than just managers; they are symbols of empowerment and success. They speak of the Fab Foundation, Professor Neil Gershenfeld, and Rico Kanthatham not just as mentors, but as guiding figures who provided the compass for their journey. Their story is a reminder that when you give a community the tools to make "almost anything," the most important thing they end up making is a new future for themselves.

Follow CoeGo Fablab on Instagram (opens new window) to see their wonderful work!